larrygator wrote:^It doesn't look like the Minneapolis slyline in the background.

Airtime&Gravity wrote:I'm not a fan of the name as it sounds incredibly trite. I'm all for patriotism, but "American Dream" as the name of the mall just sounds horrible. Then again, we are a materialistic culture, so I guess it makes sense it that sense.

Did you read the article? I'm guessing not! If you did you would know that the name is not coming from a materialistic and jingoist American, but a foreigner of Middle Eastern descent.

I did read it, that part just never registered. Well, after making my self look like an idiot, I still stand by the part of my post about not liking the name. It may have significant meaning to the mall's owners, but it just sounds odd.

Edit: Actually, you were partially right. I didn't read the article posted to this site. The article I did read on the project update didn't mention it, hence why it didn't register.

With an injection of $200 million dollars from New Jersey state funds, the indoor ski park American Dream Meadowlands (formerly Xanadu) is back on track for completion.

Originally due to open two years ago, the three million square foot leisure center has encountered multiple delays. The bad economy prompted tenants to bail out, and ownership has changed hands several times. Construction has been stalled for the past two years.

But that’s all about to change. On Wednesday, June 29th, the New Jersey legislature voted to direct $200 million dollars into the park, as part of their Economic Development and Growth Grant program.

Governor Chris Christie said, “What we’re trying to do is provide incentives for places like American Dream at the Meadowlands to be built, and in these difficult economic times, the state is going to become a partner, a small partner in the project, but a partner nonetheless,” in a radio broadcast on WNYC. An estimated 9,000 construction workers will be employed to finish building the park, and about 35,000 jobs will be created upon completion.

American Dream at the Meadowlands is slated to open over a period of time in 2013 and 2014. In addition to its star attraction, a 780-foot indoor ski slope, the park will have shops, restaurants, a water park, and movie theaters.

Change the scheme, Alter the mood! Electrify the boys and girls if you would be so kind!

The public had its chance last week to weigh in on the destruction of over five acres of wetlands that will occur if the American Dream Meadowlands project is granted final approvals to expand its existing footprint to include a new amusement park and water park.

The new construction of a water and amusement park would deplete five acres of wetlands, but construction workers are pleading for the project to move forward since they have been out of work so long.

A series of four public hearings in two days allowed comments to be accepted on a draft supplemental environmental impact statement (DSEIS) prepared as part of the preliminary steps for final approvals to be granted to allow for the two new facets of the mega-mall once known as Xanadu. The hearings produced a mixture of reviews. On one side, environmentalists shared their concerns about the environmental effects of the new addition while building trades union officials urged for the passage of the project because their workers have been hit so significantly by the economic downturn.

The new features, announced when developer Triple 5 took over the beleaguered project earlier this year and rebranded it American Dream, are planned to encompass 19 acres of a total 21.75-acre swatch of land formerly occupied by working radio towers, which still exist, but are inoperable as their operations were moved to North Bergen. The land sits just to the east of the New Jersey Turnpike and is bound to the north by the IZOD Arena loop road, to the south by Route 3 and to the west by Paterson Plank Road.

According to documents provided within the DSEIS, a total of 639,000 square feet of development will be added to the already existing 2.7 million square foot Xanadu structure, with the inclusion of the 236,000 square foot water park and 318,000 square foot amusement park. The remaining footprint will come by way of an 85,000 square foot common area.

Tony Armlin, vice president of development and construction at Triple 5, said without the inclusion of the two new venue additions to the existing footprint of Xanadu, the project won’t be viable economically. He said the company looked at alternative sites for the project, but none were positioned so visitors could directly access the amusement park and water park through the existing entertainment/retail component. Those sites, according to the impact statement, were three within the sports complex and sites on the Paterson Plank Redevelopment Area in Carlstadt and East Rutherford.

"Without the inclusion of the amusement park and the water park into the overall positioning of the project, we are not able to execute the model that is fundamental to Triple Five and we believe this project is not economically viable without these components," said Armlin. "We did look at other locations; we looked at other locations on site and locations off site to see if there were other viable sites. In the end results, none of those other sites were practical in terms of their ability to meet our criteria for location and for access connectivity."

Armlin said the company will mitigate the loss of the wetlands through a series of options including looking at three existing wetlands mitigation banks in the area or paying the state a fee to mitigate wetlands. He said three acres of credits are available at the already restored Secaucus High School Marsh site, 2.5 acres will soon become available at the Evergreen Marsh Resources bank in Carlstadt, and there could be the possibility of approaching the Meadowlands Conservation Trust on a plan to pay for restoration and maintenance of 5.5 acres in Carlstadt’s Richard P. Kane Natural Area.

"First and foremost, Triple 5 is strongly committed to meet all federal laws and regulations related to the compensation of unavoidable impacts related to wetlands," said Armlin. "It’s our intention to work collaboratively with the Army Corps. of Engineers and other federal agencies as well as the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Meadowlands Conservation Trust to identify appropriate mitigation sites."

Jeff Tittel, executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, said wetlands mitigation is simply taking existing wetlands and enhancing them, but what will be done with the destruction of over five acres of wetlands at the sports complex site is destroying a vital flood prevention and pollution mitigating ecosystem.

"It’s ironic that you’re putting a water park in the wetlands," said Tittel. "Creating new flood storage is a major reason you need these wetlands. Enhancement of wetlands elsewhere does not create new flood storage. Wetlands surrounded by development actually have a higher function because they mitigate pollution."

The DSEIS lays out a series of environmentally responsible building and design features that Triple 5 is considering in the new additions to Xanadu including energy conservation measures, building with the use of recycled and locally produced materials and operating the facility with green management programs.

"We are looking very strongly at green design, energy conservation and best practices of operation," said Armlin. "We have a 30-year history at West Edmonton Mall and Mall of America of successful green operation of our facilities."

According to the DSEIS, some of the environmental features in the new buildings will be double glazed windows for energy efficiency, automated lighting controls and Energy Star product utilization. Using low emitting and recycled construction materials and buying locally will also be explored.

The project as it stands, formerly run and developed by Mills Corp. and Colony Capital, has been highly criticized through its construction as not taking into account opportunities to make the building green. Environmentalists pushed prior to the selection of Mills in 2004 to require the mega-structure be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, but that requirement was dropped upon approval because of the complexity of the project. The developers were to include sustainable design facets where applicable. It currently has little more than energy efficient lighting and heavy insulation.

"This building will be one of the largest sources of pollution in the country, it will use more water and energy than a small city," said Tittel. "When Xanadu was approved, the previous developers got waived for all that stuff [green building practices].

Tittel said because Triple 5 will be accepting loans from the state to complete the project, a contingency of the granting of public money should be that Triple 5 goes back over the building and does more for the environment.

"They need to retrofit the existing building, they need to do green retrofits," said Tittel. "They need better access to light, more insulation and storm water is still a big issue. Bergen County will have drought emergencies with the amount of water the water park will use. They need a system to recycle greywater."

While environmentalists and some area residents alike are approaching the prospective of another large scale development that is encroaching on the region’s dissipating wetlands critically, the prospective of a new project means construction workers can get back to work, according to dozens of union officials who filed into the public hearings last week. Many spoke of their members losing their homes, no longer qualifying for health benefits and some committing suicide because they’ve been out of work so long.

"Our high unemployment rates are currently over 30 percent and our lack of future projects has changed the lives of so many of our members so dramatically that the words I speak can’t describe how our ongoing battle to survive has reached a critical stage," said Michael West, a field representative for Laborers Union Local 592. "I can honestly say that as downtrodden as our economy is, that one project and its completion can change how some of us live their lives forever."

Armin said that the $1.8 billion Triple Five will invest into the new construction and getting the current Xanadu building finished will create 19,000 total construction jobs with nearly 9,100 onsite. At completion, he projects 17,000 permanent jobs with 11,490 onsite.

"So, we’re talking about five acres in the Meadowlands. I don’t think that five acres is going to make a big difference in the flooding problems we have in the State of New Jersey," said Mike Schneider, an organizer for the Heat and Frost Insulators Local 32 in Newark. "That’s far beyond what’s going to happen down here. That’s another issue we have to take up with the Army Corps. of Engineers at another time. This project is essential for jobs now…jobs in the future."

As usual, my analysis is free of charge!Original enough to not steal someone else's quote as a signature

Shouldn't they talk about fixing up and finishing what they've already got half done before adding new stuff? I am so confused over this whole project, it just seems like a bigger scam than Hard Rock Park!

They had better get going on this project. Any more major delays and it won't be ready for the 2014 Super Bowl at Metlife Stadium which will bring this place national attention. Right now the only thing it's known for is being the ugliest building in the history of... ever.

Even NJ Governor Christie called it “the ugliest damn building in New Jersey, and maybe Ameri­ca”.

gisco wrote:Interesting pitting the environmentalists against the unions. Kind of looks to me that if they can replace the land elsewhere then this should be a go.

Replacing the wetlands elsewhere is the issue. Wetlands serve a purpose. This is a huge development in the middle of the wetlands, where destruction would have effects that are far reaching. They help with flooding and pollution control. Loss of wetlands for this project increases the risk of flooding for that area, and an increase of pollution into the ocean. Building wetlands elsewhere will not help to counteract the loss of wetlands in the meadowlands (and the fact that there are not any other place to add wetlands in the meadowlands either).

coasterbill wrote:They had better get going on this project. Any more major delays and it won't be ready for the 2014 Super Bowl at Metlife Stadium which will bring this place national attention. Right now the only thing it's known for is being the ugliest building in the history of... ever.

Even NJ Governor Christie called it “the ugliest damn building in New Jersey, and maybe Ameri­ca”.

It was designed after cargo boats. Of course it's an unholy abomination.

The sad part is I end up driving by there at least once a week. How do you think it feels to have to see that...thing, all the time?

gisco wrote:Interesting pitting the environmentalists against the unions. Kind of looks to me that if they can replace the land elsewhere then this should be a go.

Replacing the wetlands elsewhere is the issue. Wetlands serve a purpose. This is a huge development in the middle of the wetlands, where destruction would have effects that are far reaching. They help with flooding and pollution control. Loss of wetlands for this project increases the risk of flooding for that area, and an increase of pollution into the ocean. Building wetlands elsewhere will not help to counteract the loss of wetlands in the meadowlands (and the fact that there are not any other place to add wetlands in the meadowlands either).

Pretty much the same old same old. It's a long article, so I'll summarize as best possible.

*Triple Five has not taken over the site from lenders and their $1.7 Billion loan has not been finalized.

*Triple Five only responded last week to government concerns about building the amusement rides/water rides in protected wetlands.

*These plans, in regards to building on wetlands needs to be approved by a multitude of government agency: Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service

*Meanwhile, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority — the landlord for the project — has yet to submit an environmental impact statement that was due in February. That delay means that an advisory report on the proposal from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Meadowlands Commission is past due, also.

*Triple Play stills expects the complex to open in time for the Feb. 2, 2014, Super Bowl at the Meadowlands

Work delayed as American Dream Meadowlands awaits permitsSunday April 8, 2012, 11:05 PMBY JOHN BRENNANThe Record

Money isn’t the only thing standing in the way of the long-awaited American Dream Meadowlands project, the $3.7 billion shopping and entertainment complex adjacent to the Izod center. The aspiring developers have yet to obtain a key federal signoff on their plans to add water and amusement parks at the site of the redevelopment once known as Xanadu.

In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wrote that it would “continue to object” to the proposed expansion until a formal wetlands- mitigation plan is submitted and approved.

A spokesman for Triple Five, the operators of Mall of America in Minnesota and would-be operators of American Dream, said Friday that the company had “within the last 24 to 48 hours” responded to environmental questions as part of a 196-page submission to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The corps — which later Friday confirmed receipt of the information — has authority over permits involving development that intrudes on U.S. waterways.

“The entire project is very complicated, and there have been a lot of issues to address, but we believe we have now addressed them,” said Alan Marcus, a Little Falls-based public relations and advertising executive on retainer with the developer.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority — the landlord for the project — has yet to submit an environmental impact statement that was due in February. That delay means that an advisory report on the proposal from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Meadowlands Commission won’t meet an today’s deadline.

John Samerjan, a sports authority spokesman, said that his agency’s report is nearly complete.

“There are some environmental issues that we expect will be resolved soon, and at that point the document will be completed and posted,” Samerjan said.

The delays likely will push resumption of construction on the project, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex, beyond the spring time frame that the developers set out late last year.

“It’s frustrating for a lot of people, especially those looking for work, and we share that frustration,” Marcus said. But he added that the timetable of opening most of the original retail and entertainment sections of the project in time for the Feb. 2, 2014, Super Bowl at the Meadowlands remains unchanged.

The lag in closing the deal echoes earlier struggles that have turned the project into the butt of jokes — and stoked skepticism by North Jersey residents who regularly drive past the much-derided multicolored façade near the New Jersey Turnpike. Earlier incarnations of the stalled project were derailed by delays and economic setbacks over the past decade.

So 11 months after an elaborate press conference at the site featuring Governor Christie and an extensive press tour of the interior, Triple Five has yet to take over the site from a group of the project’s major lenders. A new round of financing — totaling $1.7 billion and, for the first time, involving public sources — also has not been finalized.

Christie predicted recently that American Dream would follow in the footsteps of the Revel casino in Atlantic City, another long-stalled multibillion-dollar project that finally opened for business last week.

“I think you’ll see the same kind of progress up north regarding the American Dream project,” he said. “We’re in the final throes of negotiations there.”

Stalled by water park

At issue on the environmental side is Triple Five’s plan for an indoor water and amusement park complex on a 22-acre tract that sits between the New Jersey Turnpike and the existing multicolored project.

Last fall, a subsidiary of Triple Fall applied to the Army Corps of Engineers for the permissions needed to build on 5-plus acres of wetlands that are part of that site.

In her Dec. 21, 2011, letter to the corps, Judith Enck, regional administrator for the EPA, asked whether the new attractions could be placed elsewhere on the site, whether a less intrusive plan could be devised to lessen impact on the wetlands and whether further road improvements might be required near the attractions.

Marcus described such qualms by the EPA as “practically boilerplate” in response to preliminary proposals that have not yet offered detailed mitigation plans.

Chris Mallery, a regulatory officer for the corps, said that American Dream has several options, including buying credits at wetlands mitigation banks — offsite locations where work is being done to restore wetlands. That would result in the preservation of other environmentally sensitive areas in the region to offset the disturbance of wetlands at the American Dream site.

Mallery said that representatives of American Dream have been consulting with the agency over the last several months. But, he noted, because the paperwork had just been submitted, the agency had not yet done a thorough review of the company’s application.

“We know that the proposed work would have an impact on U.S. waters, and the developer needs to do something to make up for that,” Mallery said. “Mitigation plans can be among the most difficult parts of putting together a project in certain areas.”

Wetlands projects such as at American Dream also need a go-ahead from other federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Jeff Tittel, the executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club and a longtime critic of the Meadowlands project, said that while he originally expected the American Dream permitting process to be concluded by last month, he isn’t too surprised by the delays.

“These things are never as easy as developers think they are on paper,” Tittel said.

The original developer of Xanadu, the Mills Corp., ran into financial trouble in 2005.

Colony Capital took over in late 2006, but work on the project again ground to a halt in March 2009 when promised project financing dried up. A group of lenders for the project took control of the site that summer, but little progress has been made since then.

As usual, my analysis is free of charge!Original enough to not steal someone else's quote as a signature

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